[Via... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] . . ----- Original Message ----- From: Rick Rozoff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, May 27, 2001 2:29 PM Subject: NATO To Sneak Star Wars In Through Back Door [STOPNATO.ORG.UK] STOP NATO: NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------- ListBot Sponsor -------------------------- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Nato deal launches BAE missile hopes Oliver Morgan and Paul Beaver Sunday May 27, 2001 The Observer Defence giant BAE Systems' ambitions to be at the heart of the controversial 'Son of Star Wars' US missile defence shield have been given a significant boost by Nato. Nato is about to award development work for a regional 'theatre ballistic missile defence' to a consortium (codenamed Janus) headed by US defence colossus Lockheed Martin and including BAE as a major player - a smaller-scale system that will provide a blueprint for President George Bush's grand plan. One senior source in the consortium told The Observer : 'If people are saying it is NMD (national missile defence) by the back door, I would have to say, yes it is.' Lauren Thompson, a leading US defence expert at the Lexington Institute, said: 'There is an obvious link. A national sys tem would be more demanding, but many of the TBMD components could be scaled up to national defence.' He pointed specifically to radar and satellites capable of using infra-red signals to track missiles. BAE is heavily involved in these technologies via companies in which it has interests - Alenia Marconi Systems, MBDA, European Satellite consortium Astrium - all of which are in Janus. Marconi has developed two sea-based radar systems called Mesar, along with Lockheed Martin, and Sampson, which could provide the basis for frontline missile defence. Mesar was tested by US forces this year in White Sands, New Mexico, which forms part of Janus. MBDA makes the Aster missile, which is deployed against low-level and ballistic missiles. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices http://auctions.yahoo.com/ ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
